April 2 (Bloomberg) -- The U.K. government is considering
changing trespass laws to make it easier for companies to frack
for gas and exploit geothermal energy without the agreement of
landowners, according to officials familiar with the
discussions.

In the U.K., hydraulic fracturing and the associated
horizontal drilling are covered by the same laws that deal with
oil and gas exploitation, rather than those covering coal
mining. As a result, the owner of each property under which the
horizontal drilling passes needs to give permission.

While Prime Minister David Cameron’s coalition government
hasn’t reached agreement on a course of action, ministers from
both parties agree the rules should be streamlined, according to
the two officials, who asked not to be identified as the talks
are still private. If legislation is needed, it will be
announced when Queen Elizabeth II sets out the government’s new
program at the state opening of Parliament on June 3, they said.

Though Cameron has repeatedly stressed his support for
fracking, long delays in getting permission to drill have slowed
exploitation. Among those companies aiming to drill are IGas
Energy Plc and Cuadrilla Resources Ltd.

The Bowland basin, extending across an area of northern
England that includes Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield, may
hold as much as 1,300 trillion cubic feet of gas, the British
Geological Survey says. That’s enough to meet demand for almost
50 years, based on an extraction rate similar to U.S. fields.

The Daily Mail newspaper, which first reported the move
today, said that one option under consideration is the extension
of the Coal Act 1998 to cover fracking.